Just a Guy Hired to Find a Cat
by Rhoswen19
Summary: He was just a guy hired to find a cat. As luck would have it, he found the wrong one which not only led him to a dead body, it also got him being ran over by a car. He should've known things were going to go downhill after that. This is my take on episode 1.07 Whump!Magnum
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Hello everyone, I've decided to come out of my retirement because I discovered this show and unexpectedly became obsessed with Jay Hernández. I sadly do not own the show Magnum PI nor any of its characters.

**Author's Note**: As previously stated, I became obsessed with Jay Hernández after I fell for his obvious charm and good looks. This of course means he needs to be whumped. After watching episode 1x07, I was very disappointed with the lack of hurt continuation. I took it upon myself to fix that mistake. Before you go I must tell you that English is not my first language so I asked Lizard971 to beta this story. Any mistakes left are my own. With that said, feedback is appreciated and I hope you enjoy.

"Just a Guy Hired to Find a Cat"  
by

Laz

Chapter I

TC, Rick and Higgins had been scanning the water for hours searching for signs of Magnum. As if their nerves weren't on edge enough, the low fuel alarms started blaring. It was a hard decision to make but TC knew what he had to do… "We gotta take this bird back."

Right in that moment Higgins hit the jackpot "There!" She spotted a yellow raft, floating adrift the ocean. Rick looked through the binoculars in the direction she pointed and true enough, he confirmed it, "It's them!"

TC was so relieved he exclaimed, "I knew it baby. This man is a survivor, always"

"Katsumoto, we found him." Said Rick with the brightest of smiles, "Looks like I'm going for a swim!"

"Get 'im Rick!"

Rick grabbed the first aid kit and prepared himself to dive into the ocean and swim towards their friend. Once he reached him Rick took a real look at Magnum, concerned written all over his face. Thomas attracted injuries like he did trouble and most of the time he dismissed them like it was nothing which is why Rick looked him over carefully. He noticed how Magnum had barely moved since he reached the raft. Also, there was no smartass reply, or grin. Magnum always grinned after he completed a job. "You okay?" Magnum nodded and said and unconvincing, almost whispered "yeah". The reply didn't do anything to dissipate Rick's worry.

Once Rick had successfully got up onto the raft Magnum addressed him. "Do me a favor" he said sounding a little out of breath "Fix his leg, will you? Don't want him dying before he gets what's coming to him." Rick nodded and went to work. He checked the guy's wound and it actually wasn't that bad. Magnum had done a good job putting pressure and stopping the bleeding. He untied the tourniquet and applied pressure with a gauze. He then proceeded to bandaged it tightly while the man hissed in pain. It was all he could do at the moment while they waited for the Coast Guard.

"Thomas, are you sure you are alright?"

"Maybe a little dehydrated… is all" Rick didn't look convinced.

"Let me check that cut, you may have a concussion." Rick got closer and pressed gently around the edges of the cut. He knew Magnum had a high tolerance for pain; after all not everyone could handle having someone ignite gun powder on an open wound to stop the bleeding. Then escaping and running around with said wound. It's one of the many reasons why TC refers to Magnum as a survivor. Rick looked straight into his eyes, pupils were the same size but his eyes were bright with pain. Something told him it had nothing to do with the cut on his head.

"I told ya… I'm fine" It was a lie, Magnum knew it and Rick knew it, but it was a force of habit. He felt something contract inside his chest and he couldn't breathe. His entire right side was killing him too. It felt like lava spreading all over his side.

"Somehow I don't believe you, man. Why don't you take a deep breath Magnum?"

He tried and failed "…can't" His chest felt as if it was about to explode whenever he tried to breathe.

"Is there something wrong with your ribs?"

"Got into it… with a car yesterday… the car won."

"Shit, let me see." Rick could not hide his shock and gasped as he saw what lay underneath Magnum's shirt. A massive bruise could be seen beneath the bandage covering most of Magnum's right side.

"Shit, shit, shit" Rick kept repeating. "Thomas, you need to hang on, buddy. You hear me? The Coast Guard will be here soon." He turned around to look and the third man inside the raft. "You did this to him?"

Nadella smiled at him looking very proud of himself and said "Maybe" it made Rick furious. Here they were, in the middle of the ocean with Magnum probably dying in front of him. He felt trapped and helpless. So, naturally he let out his frustration by punching the man senseless.

"Rick…" it sounded like a plea.

"What's up buddy?

"Can't breathe…" Magnum suddenly got very agitated. He looked to be in extreme pain. His eyes rolling as he fought to stay conscious.

"Look at me! I know it hurts but you have to take slow breaths. I think one of your broken ribs must have done some damage inside. You shouldn't move, man." Magnum tried as best as he could to control his breathing and his gasps became slow short breaths. His chest barely rose with each breath. Rick looked in the distance and saw the Coast Guard vessel.

"Thomas, they're here. We'll get you some help and everything we'll be fine. You'll see." He knew he was saying it more for his benefit than Magnum's but they both needed to hear it. The Coast Guard followed all their protocols, when helping them on board. They stabilized Magnum as much as they could and confirmed one of his broken ribs had pierced his lung causing a tension pneumothorax. Knowing that time was of the essence they radioed their coordinates to the medevac unit to intercept them before they reached shore. He was hooked to an IV, and put on oxygen until they could meet with the awaiting emergency medical services. They also took Nadella to a secure place until they reached shore and could hand him over to HPD.

TC and Higgins had been waiting at the shore for the Coast Guard to return with their friends, but there was no sign of them. They saw Carl Nadella being handed to the emergency medical services handcuffed and with an officer escorting him. Katsumoto approached them with a grim look on his face.

"They're not here."

"What'd ya mean?"

"Look, Magnum was injured and they made the decision to medevac him. Rick's with him. I suggest you head there, I'll meet you as soon as I'm finished here." With that they raced towards the hospital where a nurse gave them instructions to where his friends were. Higgins was practically running trying to get to them.

"Rick?!" He turned when he heard the familiar shout of Higgins; he could see TC trailing behind her. "Where's is he?" Rick just looked at them, preparing himself for what he was about to tell them. His silence made Higgins' heart hammer against her chest; the concern on his face didn't help it slow down in the least.

"What happened, Brah?" pressed TC but before Rick could answer a gurney with several medical personnel around it hurried to the elevator doors. It happened so fast they barely had time to register the man on the gurney was Magnum. Higgins' looked with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth while TC put his hands to his head not believing what he was seeing. Rick just doubled over when he noticed there was a nurse squeezing an air bag attached to the tube that was now down Magnum's throat.

"Why is Thomas breathing through a tube? Last time I saw him he looked alright."

"That's what I thought too. Apparently, Thomas had a run in with a car yesterday."

"His ribs…" whispered Higgins.

"Yeah one of those broken ribs shifted during his fight with Carl Nadella. The Coast Guard radioed for the medevac once they realized his lung had collapse hours before we found him. Last time I saw him he had started choking on his own blood and his lips were turning blue."

"Shit."

"Yeah, I think with Thomas is safe to assume things are gonna get worse before they get better."

A nurse came and directed them to the surgical waiting area. Two hours later Katsumoto showed up with coffee for everyone. "Any word yet?"

"No… thanks for the coffee." Katsumoto nodded and found a place to sit. They took turns sitting and pacing the small area. An hour later, Kumu arrived and Higgins shook her head answering her silent question.

"What could be taking so long? All this waiting is driving me crazy."

"Take it easy Rick, this ain't our first time."

"You didn't see him TC… it, it brought it all back." Higgins and Kumu shared another look.

"Ain't gonna be like that, for one you were right there with 'im."

"Yeah and somehow still ended up with a tube down his throat and has been in there for who knows how many hours fighting to survive."

TC put a hand on his shoulder, "I told ya, our boy's a survivor. Don't count him out yet."

Just as they were about to sit down, a doctor in scrubs came out, "Family of Thomas Magnum?"

"Here" they all replied in unison.

"Mr. Magnum made it through surgery; we released the pressure, and re-inflated his lung as well as fixed the damage we found. He'll have a chest tube in place to drain any fluid that may persist."

"So, he's gonna be okay doc?"

"We were informed that the injury happened while he was apprehending a criminal out at sea and that he spent the night out there before search and rescue found them." Katsumoto nodded "We think he may have aspired ocean water during the struggle and if that's the case, pneumonia is a real concern at this point. He'll be moved to intensive care where we can monitor him closely, we started him on antibiotics to fight off infection and pneumonia from setting in."

"Can we see him?"

"As soon as he's settled in his room I'll send someone to get you. Just to prepare you we are keeping him on the ventilator and in a medical induced coma until we feel his body is strong enough and he will remain in the ICU for at least the next couple days or until he starts to show signs of improvement."

Rick wanted to curse out loud; instead he took a deep breath and reached his hand out, "Mahalo doctor"

Following ICU rules they could only visit two at the time so it was decided that TC and Rick should be the first ones to see him. The room was cold and unnaturally quiet; Magnum's tanned skin had lost all of its color. One side of his mouth dragged down by the intubation tube. He looked so vulnerable and still. "Thomas?" No movement from the man in the bed. No indication he heard him, just the soft gasp and hiss of the ventilator and the controlled rise and fall of his chest.

"He's gonna pull through, right TC?"

"Hell yeah"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_For disclaimer check the first chapter._

**Author's note:** Thanks for the lovely comments. Here's the second and last chapter of the story. I'm so happy you guys enjoyed the Magnum whump! I'm even working on another story based on episode 1.15 so keep an eye out for that one. Once again, thank you and happy reading!

Chapter II

He pushed against them, fighting as hard as he could, like he always did. He be dammed if he was going to make it easy for them. He might've been their prisoner but he refused to let his friends get hurt if he could avoid it. TC, Rick and Nuzo were in this mess because of him and he was going to fight his captors every step of the way but it was hard to when his lungs were on fire and oxygen deprived.

"Can you hear me?" A voice asked him, filtering down through the layers of consciousness, but he was so confused… was that Nuzo? TC? Rick? They were supposed to be safe. He struggled against the force that pushed him down. Fire rippled through his body in a white heat of pain, he tried to move and lurched forwards in panic. "Okay, Mr. Magnum, you have to take it easy." Easier said than done… did someone turn off the air?

He lay completely still for an awfully long time, mind drifting and lungs still hurting, too terrified to breathe very deeply in case he reignited the fire inside his chest. Didn't Rick say something about short, slow breaths? Just keep inhaling through your nose, little short puffs of air . . . yeah, he could do this . . . he could put out the flames. "Mr. Magnum you have to take deep breaths. I know it hurts but you need to try breathing normally." What about what Rick said?

Thomas frowned; his body felt heavy and didn't want to cooperate as he tried to move. He instantly regretted the movement, as it pulled on what must be more of his injuries. He opened his eyes and saw a nurse re-adjusting some equipment and he realized he wasn't in Afghanistan. So, he was home then. He looked down and saw he was attached to machinery and monitors by a plethora of mysterious tubes and wiring. He then looked through the window, not exactly home but definitely still in Hawaii. He heard a faint hissing sound next to him; it was coming from an oxygen mask which he'd obviously pushed away from his nose. "It's important to keep this one on, right now," the nurse shook her head with a slight smile as she replaced it. "Your sats levels are still not where the doctor wants them to be."

He pushed it aside again, "How long?" he asked Rick who he saw standing next to TC in a corner of the room. He didn't notice the nurse pushed something into his IV, but he did feel her adjusting the oxygen mask against his face again before leaving.

"It's been three days Thomas"

It was a few more days before Magnum could stay awake long enough to have a real conversation. From Juliet's vantage point she could see Magnum lying on the bed. The oxygen mask was gone, but because of the pneumonia he now sported an oxygen cannula to help him breathe easier and not get in the way of all the coughing he was doing. It had been two weeks but he still had a few machines next to him bleeping.

Magnum looked pale and exhausted. Just then she saw him hunch forward, grip to the metal sides of the bed, white-faced with misery. She stood up and walked towards him rubbing soothing circles on his back while the coughing episode subsided. As part of the pneumonia he developed he was wracked with spontaneous bouts of coughing, lungs tight and constricted with phlegm. It was taking its toll on him, and wreaking havoc with his damaged ribcage. She winced in sympathy, when it died down it left him weak, and gasping for air.

"Not the time to be all macho Thomas, hit the pump or I'll call the nurse."

"Hate it" he wheezed.

"I know, but your ribs must feel like they're on fire."

"They are, shoot me"

"I assure you I will shoot you one of these days just not today." Magnum hated the situation. He felt it was a toss-up between two evils and he wasn't sure which one was worse. The painkillers helped with the pain, but they made him drowsy. It seemed all he did was sleep; then again he didn't cough while he slept… Decision made, he pressed the morphine pump and waited for darkness to claim him.

The next day, the doctor stopped by early to check him over. "Blood pressure is good, breath sounds are definitely better, still have some congestion but your temperature is normal," the doctor said , "It all looks better than it did a couple of weeks ago," he said taking a penlight out of his pocket and opening Magnum's eyes to check his pupils. "I think we're finally out of the woods."

"So I can leave?" Of course his body chose that moment to start coughing. He held onto his ribs and coughed from the base of his lungs like he'd been told. Problem was broken ribs take weeks to heal and the movement it's as unpleasant as it sounds.

"I'm afraid not, but if things keep progressing as they are. You'll be home soon. Let's see where we are tomorrow."

"Mahalo" the doctor left and all he wanted to do was throw himself back onto his pillows and wallow in self-pity but the tickle in the back of his throat would not leave him alone. He shut his eyes as he coughed trying to control the pain and his breathing unsuccessfully.

"What did the doctor say?" He opened his eyes with a sudden jerk, Kumu was giving him one of her motherly looks and he realized he'd been drifting, straightening up with a groan of discomfort, in order to stop it happening again. "Better, maybe tomorrow." Kumu gave him an old-fashioned look. "I can see that, I know it sucks right now" she said reaching over for an extra pillow and tucking it in firmly behind him, "but considering how ill you were, this is great news."

"Tired"

"I know, just hang in there. I'll make sure one of the rooms is ready for you when you break out of here."

"Couch?"

"You know Juliet doesn't like you sleeping on the common area."

"Comfortable" the less words he used the less chances of him starting to cough again.

"I'll see what I can do." He closed his eyes, reflecting for a moment about how he got stuck in a hospital yet again. Katsumoto had warned him about not doing hero stuff… in the end he was just a guy looking for a cat.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Hate cats" Kumu didn't mean to laugh as hard as she did, it was just unexpected. She looked at him and shook her head, Magnum was back. Seeing that grin on his face made her truly happy.

"What's so funny?" asked TC, Rick, Katsumoto and Higgins trailing behind him. Kumu winked at Magnum and replied "Cats".

_Fini_


End file.
